Is the Demise of Second Life Nearing?

Hi,

I haven't been on Second Life since just before Valentine's Day due to a bad back (I must be starting to feel the effects of my age). I won't be back on Second Life until mid-March, I hope.

I just did a Google news search, and discovered that on the Forbes.com site, I read on the grapevine that death may be nearing for Second Life. Is this true?

If it is true, I can see why. Many sims are owned by American corporations who are on the verge of bankruptcy due to the declining economy. Canada and other countries don't seem to have the problem to the same magnitude as that of the U.S. Right?

Well, for starters, a lot of the sims I frequent are owned by Europeans, and other foreign people. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Maybe if there was a way to save Second Life from Solomon Grundy (I loved that song by Crash Test Dummies), Linden Labs may need to significantly reduce the cost of purchasing virtual currency (linden dollars). Second Life should be used as an virtual interaction site, a place to interact with others, and have fun mostly. If the guys at Linden Labs want tons of money, there is a difference between a enough and too much. Seeing the world is in a recession nowadays, I really think reducing the costs of purchasing linden dollars should be an option very soon. Plus reducing the costs of owning sims would be an option also. It may cost less to upgrade the server now compared to this day in 2008.

People don't need to have millions of dollars to have a good time. All people need is enough money to own a shelter (not a mansion), a car (not a Cadillac or a Lincoln) that will get you from Point A to Point B, and food to eat. People don't need big things to have a good time. I hope Barack Obama does something fast, but it may already be too late. Maybe Barack Obama could issue a "charismatic" speech and inform Americans that "big bucks", and big items are an obsession that has been ongoing for decades. Times have changed. We are heading into the 2010s, folks! If it means Barack Obama having to suspend mortgages and recall any luxury cars that exist and receive a fair amount of money in exchange, and pay enough money to condemn any mansions or mammoth-sized houses, then he should do it.

Any thoughts?

Sky... falling...

Pyrite, could you please provide some links that show this "grapevine" that you found.

Sorry if I am cynical, but this isn't the first time that SL has been proclaimed on death's door....

Yes.

What?

Welcome to the Socialist States of America.

I remember that some time in the earlier 80s the Imminent Death of the Internet was predicted for the first time. Seems that we're still waiting for that to happen.

Now with the SL hype well behind of it is becoming fashionable to spread gloom on SL.

Why is it always exuberance vs. moroseness?

Here it is:

http://blogs.forbes.com/digitaldownload/2009/02/second-life-deathwatch-the-final-days.html

Welcome commrade, here is your government owned house, and your government owned moped. Now report to your job with a government owned company and get to work. The government will give you as much money as it deems necessary for you to have.

QFT (from the comments on the article)

Wait- my parents left Cuba for this?

You're wrong!

Pep (this is the first ever global recession)

PS My 2c worth is that the article was about as well argued and content free as most of the posts in these forums . . .

Did you bother to read it critically? If not, there's a number of comments below the "article" which do it for you.

Ah, OK. So that's just a follow-up grump to the gawker piece. Nothing substantial.

*shrugs and waves dismissively*

I've been on irc for over 10 year and in all of these 10 years they've been they've been shouting that irc is dying.
That's how it goes on internet.
Virtual worlds are the future, if Second Life will survive I don't know.
I hope so but alot needs to change then.
I don't think there is any reason to worry fot the short term

*sniff*

Smells like....troll!

And for the record, the OP's political views aren't shared by the majority of Canadians...

A stockbroker friend used to pass copies of Forbes magazine to me, and I (speaking as an IT professional) was astonished to see how consistently the writers misunderstood (and were unable to correctly evaluate) anything at all technical.

People have been predicting the demise of Second Life since it came out of beta in 2003. And here we all are......

Fixed it for ya!

Pep (ex-economist - and The Economist only gets it right half the time too)

Wrong. I am no troll. I have autism in case you are not aware.

If I was doing something wrong, I would be harassing and swearing and causing a disruption. Which this case, does not qualify me to get banned from posting.

Of course this is from the same person who had a very very long post on beer, cans, and titled it
Beer Monday: Oskar Blues' Canned Beer Apocalypse


http://blogs.forbes.com/digitaldownload/2009/02/oskar-blues-brewery-beer.html

All you have to do is to read the first line of that article, "ridiculously over-hyped virtual world" to get an idea of the author's opinion of SL. After that it's a cinch that the article is not going to be positive. My take is that it's a slow news day and the guy was facing a deadline.

Maybe I don't get out enough, but do coporations (US ones in particular) really own a signifigant percentage of the sims?

I don't see socialsim, or at least some socialist ideas, as inherently evil. I'm also not in favor of the US moving too far in that direction.

However, some point in between socialism and the "screw honesty, morals, ethics, and everyone else as long as I make money on it" attitude this country has adopted sure would be a welcome change.

/me didn't know that Canadians *had* any political views.

Pep (Photogenic views, yes)

Where the hell do you live? What makes ANYONE including the damn fool in the Whitehouse right now and his croanies - believe they have the right to dictate- YES I SAID DICTATE- what people have or don't have??? Why is it fashionable suddely to hate rich people- and WTF is "Rich" anyway?? Chances are 'rich' people got that way thru hard work or their parents' hard work- in any case it wasn't by sitting at home and expecting anything given to them! Anyone who has 'something' and worked to get it - didn't steal it or have it handed to them at another's expense - deserves to keep it! This is coming to you from a very not rich woman who drives an old beat up car whose A/C isnt working and lives pay check to pay check. If I had applied myself more in my youth maybe I would be some power something making the big bux- but whose fault is that? MINE! My responsibility- just like yours is for what ever you have or dont have. I don't need Barak Obama and his minions to 'take care' of me! And this country was built by people who got off their lazy asses and worked for wha they got! You want the government to own your ass and baby you and keep you? Then get the hell out of the way and let the Responsible adults live- God what fools walk among us! arghh!!!!

/waves to Charles Wonder if I ever ran into you on IRC But then, it's a HUGE network.

QFT - also, during the 7 years I played EQ there were posts about "the end of EQ." It's been my observation that one type of internet interaction and/or game overtakes another in popularity as time goes on, but the former ones still remain.

EQ overtook Ultima Online in popularity and now WOW appears to be more popular than EQ. However, I went back to EQ about 6 months ago (and over 2 years from last playing) during a free month offer and there were still people on EQ...just as there are still many, many people still chatting on IRC.

A new platform and/or game may overtake SL in popularity, but I honestly don't see SL going away anytime soon. Also, those of us who participate in SL sometimes think everyone knows about it (I know I fall into that thinking sometimes), then I'll mention SL to the bag boy at the grocery, etc. and usually get a "what's that?" response.

What the heck does having autism have to do with your trollish post?

Or is this your way of saying that HoneyBear must hate people with autism if she thinks you are are a troll?